The Inquiry
by samuelfiction
Summary: Gym Leader Bea takes part in an inquiry...
1. Chapter 1

The room grew silent as she entered.

As she walked down the aisle Gym Leader Bea briefly glanced at the people who where sitting along the sides of the aisle. Some of the faces she knew and some she didn't. The ones Bea did know where of her current and former trainers who she knew had been called to give testimonies on her behalf. And the others where of the current Gym Leaders who no doubt had been made to come to her inquiry by Chairman Rose.

The ones she didn't know where probably reporters and sketch artists who had come to cover the inquiry since Chairman Rose had banned cameras and Rotom from being allowed during the proceedings.

Turning her attention from the people around her, Bea focused her gaze at the three people who were sitting at the table at the front of the room and who would be deciding her fate.

* * *

From his place at the table, Chairman Rose watched as Bea entered the room. As he watched her approaching the table he sat at, he found it hard to believe that this was the same Bea that had been video taped allegedly abusing her Pokémon. Always appearing stoic in public, the video had shown her shouting at her Pangoro after it had collapsed from the weight of the stone looking slabs she had kept stacking on it's back while it was doing push ups.

Within hours of the videos release by an anonymous whistle blower the public had turned on the Stow-on-Side Gym Leader. First, the enraged public had vocally condemned her actions which Bea had apologized for. But the public grew even angrier at what they considered a weak apology and began to hold protests at Stow-on-Side and Wyndon calling for her resignation. Not wishing to further enrage the public, Chairman Rose had decided to hold an inquiry to determine Bea's fate.

Calling upon Leon, the current Pokémon champion, and Gym Leader Opal of the Ballonlea Gym to help as judges for the inquiry, they had spent another week scrutinizing the video, reaching out and talking to the anonymous whistle blower, and on this day listening to the former and current trainers who knew Bea give witness statements before talking to Bea herself.

As Bea sat down at a table that had been placed a few feet away from their table, Chairman Rose stared at her for a few more seconds before breaking the silence.

"Gym Leader Bea, do you know why you are here today?"

"I do Chairman Rose." Bea replied calmly. "I have been accused of actions that are not true."

"How can they not be true when there's a video showing what you've done Bea?" Opal asked before Chairman Rose could speak.

"I am aware of what is on the video. And I understand that many disagree with how I train my Pokémon but I have done nothing wrong." Bea answered the Ballonlea Gym leader in the same calm voice.

"Bea? How can you call that training?" Leon asked in disbelief. "That is abuse!"

"Because that is the same type of training my parents but me through to make me stronger and no one ever said it was abuse."

At Bea's statement a loud murmur came from those sitting behind her.

"Opal, is it true that no one questioned how Bea's parents trained her?" Chairman Rose whispered into Opal's ear as the crowd continued to talk.

"No, no one ever did." Opal sadly whispered back. "Some of us knew they could be harsh with Bea when it came to her training, but no one ever saw it as abuse."

'Okay Bea," Leon said stopping the murmur as people stopped to listen to him. "Just because your parents were harsh with their training towards you, doesn't mean you have to be harsh with your own Pokémon!"

"Champion Leon," Bea said as she briefly wondered at what Chairman Rose and Gym Leader Opal had said to each other. "May I ask you a question?"

"You may." Leon replied as Chairman Rose and Gym Leader Opal turned their attention back to Bea.

"How do trainers strengthen their Pokémon to face gym leaders?"

"Everyone knows that. By battling against other Pokémon and trainers to strengthen themselves so they can face the gym leader." Leon promptly answered.

"What does that have to do with this inquiry, Bea?" Chairman Rose asked, curious as to why she asked the question.

"You may, or may not know, but there are a small group of people who actually object to Pokémon being used to battle for us. With some of them even calling it abuse." Bea replied as she chose her words carefully. "But people still abuse…I mean battle with their Pokémon to, as Champion Leon said, to strengthen them. Yet they are not punished for it despite others calling it abuse."

"You can't compare with what you did to what other trainers do to strengthen their Pokémon, Bea!" Leon replied. "They're just doing…what others have shown them."

Instantly the room was filled with talking as the crowd discussed the exchange between Leon and Bea.

"Leon? Do you see how your training could be seen as abuse?" Chairman Rose whispered to Leon.

"I…I don't." Leon replied thoughtfully. "But I have heard from the occasional nutter who claims that I am abusing my Pokémon by battling with them."

"And you Opal?" Chairman Rose asked her.

"No, I treat my Pokémon with respect just as my mother taught me." Opal replied. "But just like Leon over the years I've encountered those who disagree with me using Pokémon for battles."

"I see." Chairman Rose said thoughtfully. "Then I hope you don't object with what I am about to say."

Loudly clearing his throat to get the crowds attention, Chairman Rose waited for the crowd to grow silent.

"Bea," Chairman Rose said. "Upon discussing with Champion Leon and Gym Leader Opal, I understand how your actions may have been taken out of context causing those to wish for your resignation. I will not ask for you to stop being the gym leader for Stow-on-Side but I will require you to have a monitor present during your training sessions until I see no need for them to be there. Do you agree?"

"Yes, yes I agree Chairman Rose." Bea replied as the crowd excitedly reacted to Chairman Rose's sentencing.

* * *

A week after the Inquiry, Chairman Rose found himself busily looking over documents when he heard a knock on his office door. Glancing at his appointment calendar he smiled that the person had decided to come on schedule.

"Come in, the door's unlocked." Chairman Rose said.

Opening with out a sound, the door slowly opened to reveal a person wearing a Poké Ball that had eyes and a mouth glued on it over their heads.

"Interesting disguise Mr. or Ms. Anonymous Whistleblower," Chairman Rose said as his visitor shut the door behind them and took the seat in front of Chairman Rose's desk.

After the inquiry had ended they had called him to set up a meeting. As he waited for them to appear on the agreed upon the date, the furor over Bea had slowly subsided in the days following the Inquiry. And from the reports he had been receiving from the monitor he had assigned to monitor Bea, the Stow-on-Side gym leader was working on making her training less grueling towards her Pokémon.

"I didn't see the need for other's to know what I look like." the visitor said with a shrug of their shoulders.

"So, are you satisfied with the inquiry?"

"Yes. When I saw what she was doing I was highly upset. But with a monitor to mind her know it is comforting to know her Pokémon will be protected."

"What are your plans now?" Chairman Rose asked.

"Oh, just traveling around Galar to keep an eye out for people who treat their Pokémon badly."

"And what will you do if you find them?"

"I'll talk to them so they can't use Bea's defense as an excuse. And if that fails, they shouldn't object if I take their Pokémon away."


	2. Chapter 2

"I know this looks bad, but Hitmontop and I didn't touch anything." Gym Leader Bea calmly said to Chairman Rose and the lead building inspector as they stood in the middle of the smoking ruins of the Stow-on-Side gym.

The gym had been fine when Bea had come onto the center of the field with the plan to watch her Pokémon spar with each other that morning. But just as she had brought Hitmontop out the gym began to violently shake around them.

As a rumbling sound filled her ears, Bea had felt a surge of panic from not knowing what was happening before her training kicked in. Cursing at herself for panicking and wasting precious time Bea quickly Dynamaxed her Hitmontop then lying beneath it she used it as a shield as Stow-on-Side collapsed around them.

Once the quaking had ended Bea then cautiously stood up and looked over the remains of her gym. Thinking of what to do next she was interrupted by a cabbie on his Corvinight yelling at her from above to see if she was alright. Responding that she was the cabbie yelled back he was landing to carry her out from the rubble and as the Corvinight began to descend Bea returned her Hitmontop back to its ball after thanking them for protecting her.

After being rescued Bea didn't expect to be returning to her destroyed gym for at least a few days. But Chairman Rose and a team of building inspectors had arrived at Stow-On-Side around to noon time and had requested she join them as they looked over the destroyed gym.

"No one is blaming you for this love," the lead building inspector, who had introduced herself as Nina, replied with a friendly smile. "With all this damage we're mainly relieved that there were no injuries or fatalities."

"Do you have any idea what could have caused this Nina?" Chairman Rose asked as he turned his attention away from a pile of rubble to look at the lead building inspector. "Could it have been a natural occurring incident or an attack from a Pokémon? Or possible even someone who still disagrees with having Bea as a gym leader?"

"Those are things we have to take into consideration Chairman Rose." Nina thoughtfully replied. "With the strict building codes in place for Pokémon Gyms, since they must be structurally sound to handle the variety of Pokémon attacks that occur within them, for Stow-On-Side to collapse like this it is of great concern.

"Which reminds me, where is the person who is supposed to be monitoring you Bea?" Nina said as she turned her attention to Bea. "I'd like for them to be here too so they can give me their account of what happened."

"I dismissed the monitor a few days ago." Chairman Rose said before Bea could reply.

"Dismissed? Nina said with a curious tone as she looked at Chairman Rose then back to Bea. "Why?"

"Chairman Rose and the monitor were satisfied in how I had changed my training methods after three months of observations." Bea replied. "In fact, Thomas was very surprised in how my training methods had changed."

"Thomas? Is that the monitor's name?" Nina asked.

"No," Bea said with a shake of her head."The monitor's name is Ivan. Thomas is the name of the building inspector who inspects the gym."

"Is there something wrong Nina?" Chairman Rose asked as he noticed the building inspector frowning.

"I would say so Chairman Rose." Nina answered. "The building inspector assigned to Stow-On-Side is named Gavin not Thomas. Bea, can you describe this Thomas looks like?"

"Yes. He's the same height as Chairman Rose. But he has a thin build and blonde short hair, brown eyes," Bea said before stopping as she saw Nina's frown deepen. "Which from your look isn't what Gavin looks like."

"Correct. Gavin looks nothing like the person you described." Nina replied before calling over to one of the other inspectors.

"Are you saying that the gym was being inspected by an imposter?" Chairman Rose asked with disbelieve in his voice.

"I'm simply saying that Gavin is the assigned building inspector. Before coming here we checked all of the inspection reports on Stow-On-Side that were provided by Gavin. So to me it appears that Gavin was giving his responsibilities to this Thomas while sending us reports." Nina replied as the other inspector she had called for joined them.

"Eric," Nina said to the inspector who stood beside her. "Please call the main office and have them send someone to physically check on Stow-On-Side's assigned inspector named Gavin. I'm starting to highly doubt he's too ill to join us here. Also suggest they send the police for backup."

"Yes ma'am" Eric replied as he pulled out a smart phone.

"And Chairman Rose," Nina said as she turned her attention back to Chairman Rose, "Based on what could be the negligence of this Thomas due to Gavin shirking his duties, I must ask you to cease all Pokémon battles in Hammerlocke and Ballonlea until a thorough inspection can be performed on them since Gavin was also their assigned building inspector."

"Cease battles? But what of those trainers who need to battle Opal and Raihan?" Chairman Rose asked with concern. "And also Bea?"

"I suggest you, Bea and those gym leaders discuss alternate places that can be used as temporary gyms." Nina replied. "Because for the safety of all I will condemn those stadiums if you do not agree to cease the Pokémon Battles there."

"No, no. I agree that safety is the number one priority when it comes to this issue." Chairman Rose answered. "But no one will be able to Dynamax their Pokémon at these alternate gyms."

"I'm sure no one will complain of not being able to Dynamax their Pokémon, Chairman Rose." Nina said. "After all, no one complains about not being able to Dynamax their Pokémon in Spikemuth."

(Umm...sorry for the longness again.)


End file.
